title: Contribution of traditional medicine in the healthcare system of the Middle East.
abstract: Unani medicine or Islamic medicine is one of the main healing systems in the world, which was set up by the Islamic physicians in the Middle East about a thousand years ago based on the teachings of Hippocrates and Galen. This medical system had been practiced widespread in the world including Europe until the 16th century and contributed greatly to the development of modern medicine. Despite the remarkable advancements in orthodox medicine, the traditional medicine has always been practiced in the Middle East communities. Due to cultural beliefs and practices, the Middle East communities have a very rich tradition in the utilization of herbal remedies as well as diverse spiritual techniques for treating various disorders. Traditional practitioners have become the main component of disease management in the Middle East and they have used herbal remedies along with spiritual techniques for the treatment of ailments mainly based on the Unani medicine.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Yeditepe University, 34755 Istanbul, Turkey. yesilada@yeditepe.edu.tr
authors.forename: Erdem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yesilada
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D058005:General Practitioners; D006801:Humans; D008519:Medicine, Traditional / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D019367:Medicine, Unani; D008877:Middle East; D012922:Social Change